There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura (English) Paperback Book

Description: There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura _______________Surreal and unsettling - Observer Cultural HighlightWise, comical and exceptionally relatable - Zeba TalkhaniQuietly hilarious and deeply attuned to the uncanny rhythms and deadpan absurdity of the daily grind - Sharlene Teo_______________A woman walks into an employment agency and requests a job that requires no reading, no writing – and ideally, very little thinking.She is sent to an office building where she is tasked with watching the hidden-camera feed of an author suspected of storing contraband goods. But observing someone for hours on end isnt so easy. How will she stay awake? When can she take delivery of her favourite brand of tea? And, perhaps more importantly – how did she find herself in this situation in the first place?As she moves from job to job, writing bus adverts for shops that mysteriously disappear, and composing advice for rice cracker wrappers that generate thousands of devoted followers, it becomes increasingly apparent that shes not searching for the easiest job at all, but something altogether more meaningful..._______________An irreverent but thoughtful voice, with light echoes of Haruki Murakami ... the book is uncannily timely ... a novel as smart as is quietly funny - Financial TimesPolly Bartons translation skilfully captures the protagonists dejected, anxious voice and her deadpan humour ... imaginative and unusual - Times Literary Supplement FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography Kikuko Tsumura was born in Osaka, Japan, where she still lives today. In her first job out of college, Tsumura experienced workplace harassment and quit after ten months to retrain and find another position, an experience that inspired her to write stories about young workers. She has won numerous Japanese literary awards including the Akutagawa Prize and the Noma Literary New Face Prize, and her first short story translated into English, The Water Tower and the Turtle, won a PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology recognized Tsumuras work with a New Artist award in 2016. Theres No Such Thing as an Easy Job is her first novel to be translated into English.Polly Barton is a translator of Japanese literature and non-fiction, based in the UK. Stories she has translated have appeared in Words Without Borders, Granta and The White Review. Full-length translations include Spring Garden by Tomoka Shibasaki and Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda. After being awarded the 2019 Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize, she is currently working on a non-fiction book entitled Fifty Sounds. Review Tsumuras portrait of the daily grind is spot-on, her observations wryly tender. Polly Bartons translation captures the deadpan absurdity and subtle surrealism in this inventive Japanese novel -- Madeleine Feeny * Mail on Sunday *Ultimately, it is through the winding process of self-repair that we get to share in the characters journey of self-understanding in this altogether human novel * Irish Times, Best New Translated Novels 2020 *An irreverent but thoughtful voice, with light echoes of Haruki Murakami ... the book is uncannily timely ... a novel as smart as is quietly funny * Financial Times *Polly Bartons translation skilfully captures the protagonists dejected, anxious voice and her deadpan humour ... imaginative and unusual * Times Literary Supplement *I have never read such relatable writing about the small stresses of working and how they can feel like disasters at the time. She captures the small apocalypse of an admired colleague leaving, or the sense of powerlessness when a higher-up interferes * i paper *Surreal, wickedly funny … it feels pretty timely, as we consider the workplace and the purpose of work in our lives at a time of cultural and societal upheaval ... We move through absurdist tableaux and moments of deadpan, existential drama, but its Tsumuras incisive eye on the small, everyday office stresses so many will find deeply relatable that kept me captivated. The neo-liberal work-life fantasy is obliterated so beautifully * Dazed *Bringing to mind aspects of the terrific Convenience Store Woman, a surreal exploration of finding meaning in life * i paper *Surreal and unsettling * Observer *Translated in a droll and understated style by Polly Barton, part of the novels appeal lies in the narrators distinct worldview and her deadpan humor that allows the surreal, metaphysical connections in the novel to bubble beneath the surface of her seemingly dull, day-to-day existence * Japan Times *A fascinating, immersive novel about a young Japanese woman moving from one mundane job to another, searching for employment that doesnt require her to think too much. But she soon finds out that no matter how simple her set tasks, there are intrigue, magic and the unexpected to each one. Fans of My Year Of Rest And Relaxation will adore this exquisitely deadpan book, adeptly translated by Polly Barton * Red *A surreal employment odyssey ... Recommended for anyone missing time in the office * Monocle *A brilliant riposte ... dont get mad, get even – and then get even better * Saga *A wise, comical and exceptionally relatable novel on finding meaning and purpose in our work lives -- Zeba Talkhani, author of My Past is a Foreign CountryQuietly hilarious and deeply attuned to the uncanny rhythms and deadpan absurdity of the daily grind, Kikuko Tsumaras postmodern existential workplace saga both skewers and celebrates our deeply human need to function in society and keep surviving in an oftentimes senseless-seeming world -- Sharlene Teo, author of PontiRead it before you burn out * Asahi Shimbun Weekly AERA *The fantastical flavour of this book is one of its charms … This is a masterpiece of a book about the working world -- Kentaro Tomoda * Bunshun Toshokan *Spending time in the authors unique world, which seems so bizarre and random but is in fact artfully designed, I found myself healed and restored -- Kazufumi Watanabe * Asahi Shimbun *Delightful and disturbing in equal measure ... Mesmeric, funny, wry, delightful – this is a novel to help the millennials find their own paths through the world theyve inherited * Lunate *Tsumuras novel is a pleasing, quietly enjoyable slice of fiction with a message for those who give themselves entirely to work, no matter how rewarding it may be * A Life In Books *Completely different to anything Ive read before ... there is an almost dreamlike feeling to the story * Life With All the Books * Promotional Convenience Store Woman meets My Year of Rest and Relaxation in this strange, compelling, darkly funny tale of one womans search for meaning in the modern workplace Review Quote Ultimately, it is through the winding process of self-repair that we get to share in the characters journey of self-understanding in this altogether human novel Promotional "Headline" Convenience Store Woman meets My Year of Rest and Relaxation in this strange, compelling, darkly funny tale of one womans search for meaning in the modern workplace Feature Japanese fiction is having a huge resurgence, and Kikuko Tsumura is a multi-award-winning author whose novels have not been published in English before. Polly Barton translated her first work into English for Granta last year, the short story The Water Tower and the Turtle, and it won the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. Details ISBN1526622254 Author Kikuko Tsumura Pages 416 Language English Year 2021 ISBN-10 1526622254 ISBN-13 9781526622259 Format Paperback Publication Date 2021-10-14 DEWEY 895.636 UK Release Date 2021-10-14 Imprint Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Place of Publication London Country of Publication United Kingdom NZ Release Date 2021-10-14 Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Audience General AU Release Date 2022-01-04 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:134190926;

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